Durham police officers put construction skills to work for a local resident

Police don’t usually make the news for the good work they do, but two Durham police officers were recognized this week for going “above and beyond” the call of duty after a weekend house fire.

The home’s female resident was not hurt in the fire Saturday, but two windows and a side door were badly damaged, Durham Police Department officials posted Monday on Facebook. The woman, in order to stay warm, decided to sleep in her car parked in the driveway, they said.

When Officers B.L. Taylor and D.R. Johnson, members of Squad 2-B, heard what had happened, they went to the woman’s house and installed plywood on the burned-out windows and doors to keep the house warm. The American Red Cross also gave the woman a voucher that would let her stay temporarily in a hotel.

Taylor and Johnson’s squad has this week off, so they were not immediately available for comment, according to Durham police spokeswoman Kammie Michael.

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